


The Demon That Comes When You Call For A Hostile Takeover

by Ononymous



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, SOULless Chara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-07-08 03:24:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15921821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: It was risky, but Frisk had to try. And they succeeded. The two children lost to the plan were found, but neither would be the same, especially Chara. Absent any reason to stay, they set out to revenge themselves on humanity in the most pernicious manner possible.





	The Demon That Comes When You Call For A Hostile Takeover

"You've made a mistake, Frisk."

The two children eyed each other across the cavern. A jubilant atmosphere had been filling the air as a colourful crowd had descended on a third child, but the threat concealed in the otherwise neutral sounding declaration banished it instantly. Now there was only doubt.

"You tried for too much," continued Chara, a neutral smile belying their disapproval, "you knew this could happen. That it would."

Frisk gave nothing away, only a continued look of determination meeting its equal for the first time. Of the inhuman audience to the sudden confrontation, three camps were emerging. One camp, lead by a skeleton, was politely puzzled at the child's words, the smiles the miracle had induced lingering. The second group also contained a skeleton, and also continued to smile, but there was an edge of distrust to it. The final group did not smile, but gripped the third child, who like Chara they had long thought lost to them, fearing they would both be lost again.

"My... my child..." Toriel's voice sounded uncertain, but in truth it was fear. Fear of what the response would be. It was entirely justified.

"No," dismissed Chara, "I am not 'your child' anymore. Perhaps I never was."

Asriel felt his parents' grip tighten even further at the rejection. There was a time he might have cried over such words coming from his best friend, but not now. He understood those words all too well, might even have agreed with them moments before. Still, all three Dreemurrs shared a feeling of deep sorrow as Chara returned to confronting their erstwhile saviour.

"He warned you." To most of the audience, they had no idea who Chara was talking about. Alphys in particular started scratching her head. "He told you that even if you could reach both of us, there would only be enough for one. You knew you would have to choose which of us got it. And you chose _him_."

Their final sentence was every bit as neutral as the rest of their words, but it was the first to visibly affect Frisk. They flinched slightly, as if Chara had made to strike them. But the moment's doubt faded.

"Yes," admitted Frisk, "I chose him."

"...Good."

The three camps briefly united once more, though in confusion rather than joy. Chara's smile twitched, revealing their amusement.

"It was the correct choice, I suppose. He needed it more than I did. Still, I thought your attempts to reach him before now would have taught you. Determination isn't enough to make one care. Only a soul will do that. And if you were willing to do anything for a second soul, this reunion would have happened much sooner. In trying to save everyone, you ignored the possibility you might doom everyone."

The king and queen stared down at their son as he absently clutched his chest. At this gesture the one-time Captain of the Royal Guard stepped forward.

"Look kid, I don't care who you are, you think of trying to attack us or anything and I'll-"

"Attack you? Please." Neutrality had drifted into disdain. "You have nothing I need."

"NOTHING YOU NEED?" Papyrus tilted his head. "I THOUGHT ALL LIVING THINGS NEEDED A SOUL. YOU DO NOT WISH TO CLAIM THE PRINCE'S?"

Chara shrugged. "I have a body, and I have my will. I need nothing else. Frisk, I thank you for this gift, but I don't feel beholden to you. I don't feel anything. There is nothing left for me here."

They began to walk away. Frisk sidestepped to block their path. "What are you going to do?"

"Isn't it obvious? My plan had failed, hadn't it? It doesn't mean my goal was wrong."

"It _was_ wrong," pleaded Frisk, "humans and monsters-"

"Are destined for conflict. You are all too weak and naïve to admit it. But I no longer care. Humanity has enough on its tally without the crimes of Ebott. I shall punish their petty ignorance without your involvement. Stay out of my way, and monsters shall have nothing to fear from me."

For a moment it looked like Frisk was going to remain in Chara's way, but they looked back at their friends and family, and the instinct to protect won out. With a nod of the head, almost wishing good luck, they stood aside, walking over to the group as Chara passed them without another glance.

"Chara, wait!"

Asriel had slipped free of his parents and ran up to the withdrawing figure. Chara stopped and turned around, as if the weight of their bond demanded this final favour.

"I'm not gonna beg you to stay," he said, "I know that's stupid, more than anybody else here."

Chara nodded in approval. "I know you do."

"But I just wanted to tell you... That your plan? It was even more stupid."

His whole attitude, the brightness of his restored self casting the shadows of the flower into sharp relief, kept Chara's attention. Asriel would never have done this before. And yet in spite of everything, it was still him.

"Why?” they asked, sincerely curious. “Because a plan involving suicide is reckless? Because it risked renewed war with humanity? Because of the pain it caused?"

"No. Because it relied on me."

Chara's eyes widened in surprise. And then a soft chuckle carried over to the audience. Nobody was sure whether Asriel had spoken of the flaw as a positive or a negative. This group of doubters included Asriel.

"Very true. I have learned, though. So have you. Continue and perhaps monsters are not so doomed. I notice you aren't apologising for it, however.” Asriel's silence was telling. ”Very well. If that's all, then-”

"Wait." For one so long deprived of certain feelings, his control of them was admirable. "One last thing I want to ask. When I found you. When you lived with us. When we were friends... Family... Was it always leading to the plan? To this moment? Was it all a lie?"

Their brown eyes met his green, looking into each other's for what both felt would be the last time. "...no. It wasn't a lie. But it would become a lie if I stayed."

The young monster nodded knowingly. "Yeah, it would."

There was no need to speak farewells aloud. With one final determined look at the monsters, Chara turned again and began the trek through the Underground, to see the sun. Asriel found himself seized by his father, responding to the hug in kind as both began to weep quietly. With closure established Asriel felt no shame in revelling in his feelings. Meanwhile the middle camp of emotions were not assuaged by how the confrontation ended.

"that's it?" asked Sans. not even a ' _soul_ -long'?"

"I don't like it," snarled Undyne, "they mean trouble, we should try and... and..."

"Let's fight a ten year old!" felt like an odd sentiment to the group now, even though most of them had done this not so long ago. Undyne's need to act far outpaced any idea of how to act.

"W-we can keep tabs on them," offered Alphys, "pay attention t-to the news and if they mean t-trouble for us we can-"

"Please no!"

Even with the rejection from Chara themselves, and even with their stated ill wishes towards humanity, the idea of opposing her onetime child was too much for Toriel to bare. The emotional avalanche of the day's events finally swept her mental ski lodge aside, and she broke down into tears. The sound rallied her husband and son, and soon the three were clenching each other tightly as their grief began to shift after a century of stagnation.

"I think they'll leave us alone," said Frisk.

"ARE YOU SURE, FRISK? THEY SEEMED RATHER MENACING. WHY DO YOU THINK THEY WILL?"

"Because they said they would."

"izzat the best metric, buddy? see, there's this sociological concept called a 'lie'..."

"They weren't lying." With a few sniffles, Asriel had wrestled his head clear of his parents' embrace, knowing this was important to explain. "Not to us, anyway. I'd know what that kind of lying sounds like." Frisk nodded in agreement.

Sans' concern melted away with a shrug. "eh, good enough for me, cap."

"But..." said Asgore, collecting himself, "what will happen should their threats come to fruition?"

"I dunno," said Undyne, as the group began to return to the surface themselves to begin their new lives, "but God help whoever crosses their path."

* * *

"Please say that again."

Chara reclined in their chair slightly, their gaze reaching across the long oak table at the presenter.

"W-well," he stammered, loosening his tie, "the quarterly revenue streams suggest-"

"Tie."

He flashed incredulity at his boss, especially as they continued to wear a green sweater under their jacket, tie-free, but self preservation won out. Soon his tie was just as immaculate and suffocating as it had been before.

"The streams suggest the 18-30 demographic weren't as engaged with our new model as the previous one. We may be approaching market saturation."

"I see."

The rest of the board sat paralysed, sensing the danger. From their jacket Chara took out a clipping from a newspaper. They passed it over to the head of research and development, who accepted it like a death warrant.

"Stanley, do you know what this is?"

"It's..." he made for his own tie, but thought better of it. "A review. Of our last model."

"Yes. Please read the 'reliability' section to us."

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out, so he took a drink of water and tried again. "' _We especially appreciate the durability of the Model 3, its ability to weather the elements and accidental damage and keep on functioning, lasting considerably longer than its closest competitor._ '"

"' _Considerably longer_ '," repeated Chara. "Are you proud of that fact, Stanley?"

Both simple answers invited peril, so Stanley tried to weave around. "I... cultivating a brand recognition for reliability has positive PR implications..."

"True. But good public relations mean nothing if they don't put bread on the table. We should _not_ be reaching market saturation, Stanley. The market should be bleeding at a steady rate."

"I... I understand that, Chief."

"Understanding it now is a little late." The chief financial officer would later swear condensation appeared on his water glass from how icy the atmosphere was. "Veronica, the Model 4's probably a bust at this stage, can you see what we can salvage from it, and make sure the 5 will wear out when we want it to?"

"Sure thing, Chief."

"B-but," said Stanley, "isn't that my job-"

"No. Not anymore."

At Chara's words, a lawyer with the most expensive suit in the room emerged from the shadows with a heavy looking bundle of papers.

"I'm sure you know the drill by now. Standard NDA terms. if you want a severance package and a non-litigious future, you'll sign. Goodbye, Stanley."

With a sympathetic air juxtaposing his purpose, the lawyer guided Stanley to his feet, muttering about coffee. As the door closed behind them the rest of board returned their attention to Chara, their ex-colleague instantly forgotten. In what felt like a miracle, one of them found a spine.

"Excuse me, Chief?"

"Yes, Christine?" Their tone was friendly now. At least it sounded like it.

"It's just... I get what you're saying about the Model 5. But even though I've directed our lobbyists to push like you asked, they're having trouble resisting the minimal standards the government wants to impose. They might not allow us to release something that wears out after a year."

Chara looked at her stoically. "'Allow'?"

A momentary drought ensued as everyone reached for their water. But Christine would not join Stanley. A world-weary sigh reached her ears instead.

"I understand. They can be tenacious in an election year. No matter, with the excessive durability of the Model 4 we may not be in a position to need waning standards until after they secure office anyway, we can wait until the heat is off. In case an opportunity to act sooner emerges, I'm due to talk to a non-partisan industry consultant, see if there isn't a way to bring them round sooner. But I have other business to attend to before that, so let's leave it there for now. Everyone, thank you for attending."

Everyone's jaws remained tightly clamped until the group broke up. A small cluster maintained cohesion until they closed the door on a private office and took the phone off the hook.

"God, they weird me out!"

"I know, right? Talk about an iron fist."

"The returns, though..."

"Yeah. They make way too much money not to work for..."

"Aren't they a little young to run a business?"

"You weren't around when Yancy asked that-"

"Shh, don't mention him!"

"I'm just saying how they told him they were older than they looked-"

" _Shh!_ "

"I gotta respect how they tow the BS 'neutral' jargon. 'Non-Partisan Industry Consultant' is a great name for the old man and his strings."

"What are they handling before he gets here anyway?"

"I heard it was Alex."

"Really? That's a shame, I liked him..."

Meanwhile Chara had returned to their office, poured a large mug of hot chocolate and sipped from while typing on their computer to grab the information they needed. It wasn't long before their comm buzzed.

"Chief Chara, your three-thirty is here."

"Thank you, Stephanie, send him in."

Even though permission to approach had already been given, Chara's guest still knocked before opening the door. Respecting boundaries until sure. Chara respected that deference to their authority. A shame, really. The scruffy young man stood in front of the mini putt kit set up in the middle of the carpet. Nobody in the company had ever witnessed Chara playing with it, but there were appearances to keep up, to put their minds at ease.

"Greetings," they said, too politely, "would you care for a drink? Coffee, Tea, Chocolate?"

"Uh, no thank you Chief."

"Alright. Take a seat."

He almost knocked the putt set aside in his haste to obey. Chara almost wished he had, the terror he'd feel would have been amusing. But he was already on edge, so it was enough. Chara pressed their fingers together as Alex averted their gaze, instead looking past them and out the window, to the distant Mount Ebott.

"Now then, Alex. As you know, I don't beat about the bush. When I see a problem, I call it."

"And... you see a problem right now." He was despondent.

They nodded. "You're sharp, Alex. I know you don't know what I see, but you know that I see it. That might just save you."

"It might?!" The sudden hope was delicious.

"Well I should fill you in on your infraction before we decide." They swivelled their monitor around. "Alex, do you know what these windows are?"

Dots were connecting in his head. Chara loved that moment. "They're... they're my various social media accounts."

"Yes, Alex. Please look at the central window. Fourth post in the timeline. Can you read it?"

"...' _Model 4, more like #ModelSnore_ '..."

"Model... Snore..."

"...I thought the pun was funny." A full allocution might save him.

"I can take or leave wordplay. Tired of it, honestly." Or maybe not.

"B-b-but I didn't write that!"

"No. But you liked it, Alex. And it's not like your employment here is a secret. We're on a winning streak. You know why we're on a winning streak?"

"...'Because we all pull in the same direction'..."

"Precisely. We have faith in the company in public, at all times, no exceptions. Our streak is in jeopardy, Alex. If somebody starts pulling in a different direction-"

"Please no!" All dignity was abandoned. "You picked me for this job, you showed you believed in me, I'm sorry I betrayed you, I didn't mean to let you down!"

An unexpected catharsis at these words parried Chara's intent. They absently fingered the locket they still wore. "...you know what, Alex? I believe you."

"Y-you do?!"

"Yes. I'm going to give you a second chance."

"A sec-" relief choked him up. "Oh god, thank you. Thank you, Boss!"

Chara relished the power. "We all deserve a second chance sometimes. Just talk to Mister Stone when he's done debriefing Stanley, he'll schedule an ethics refresher course for you."

"Stanley-?" He caught on. "Oh, uh, sure thing, Boss."

"Very good. You may leave and visit your wife in the hospital now. I believe it's a girl."

"Thank you!" Without pondering the words, he raced out of the office. Chara was satisfied at dangling him along a little longer. A reputation for firing at the slightest infraction just meant there was no hope. And that wouldn't do. Without the severance arrangements to go through, Chara allowed themselves a few minutes to admire the view, their onetime home dominating the skyline. After a while, their office door opened again. Only one person felt like they had the sway to barge in like that, so Chara turned their chair around to receive him.

"Chara! How's my company doing?"

"Better, Vinny. How is retirement treating you?"

"Great, according to the last dividend payout you earned. 'course I expect nothing else with my protégé behind the wheel!"

...let him have that, all in due time. "You built something solid here, Mister Polotsk. I just saw how it could be more efficient."

"Sure did! Cuts here, aggressive marketing there. You can get people to agree to sacrifices I couldn't pay them enough to make. You've got that ruthless streak that works well in business, kid!"

"I prefer to think of it as determination."

"Sure, whatever you tell yourself." The smell of stale tobacco reached Chara's nostrils. They did not regret banishing that stench from the office after taking over. "But let's get down to business. Or should I say politics?"

As usual in these one-to-one meetings with concerned shareholders that just happened to be former owners of the whole business Chara had poured out a cup of coffee for Vinny. And also as usual he glanced over at the cabinet he left behind after retirement, feeling a pang at the neglected air it gave, deprived of familiar bottles of respectable vintage he'd have had for his own guests. Kid was a health nut or something, couldn't quite figure how to unwind. But they were too successful to need to. Even now they were keeping on point while he took a moment to scratch his balding pate.

"I assume you have the list, sir?"

"Well, yeah. Christine sent me the names her guys had most trouble with. She's a nice girl, wears a skirt really well if you know what I mean, but she's got no nose for who to butter up. Targeting too many idealists, especially in an election year."

"That's what I thought."

"You learn faster than she does, kid. Anyway, it's not the leader of the industry committee you go for, it's whoever's got seniority. You invite them to a few industry conferences somewhere sunny, accidentally leave something expensive in their hotel room, they soon cotton on. You gotta be subtle about it."

"Yes, you've mentioned it a few-" dozen "-times. So, who would you target? Seniority probably means Archer, right?"

"You got a good eye for it, Chara. But not just him. Siskel might be a little newer, but he's got an ego thing, you leave a halfway interesting policy in his room and he'll sincerely think it's his own idea. Makes him more passionate when he argues for it, and cheaper to persuade. And of course Roberts has gone to bat for us many times, that's what having a son who works here will-"

"Ah," said Chara, "I'm sorry to say we may have hit a snag with Roberts, Mister Polotsk."

"A snag? Aw hell, have you gotten more complaints from the women? That boy can't keep it in his-"

"Oh, nothing like that, Vinny." Yet. "It's just I decided that Jonathan would be better suited supervising our factory in Alaska."

"In Ala- What?!"

"Oh, he's paid well. But there's a lot of supervision needed. Especially in winter."

"What is there to supervise?! It's all robots up there! What is this, kid?"

Entirely unperturbed by the gauntlet they had thrown down, Chara continued. "Thing is, marketing is saying it could be lucrative if we came out as pro-monster, and Senator Roberts has made a lot of noise about cataloguing them, restricting them to designated areas, all sorts of things he'd never ask his electorate to submit to. Gives some people the wrong idea about his ultimate intent towards them. And a pro-monster campaign is dead in the water if his son makes waves here. But I know his father's an old friend of yours, so I'm not letting him go, just keeping that connection quiet."

Vinny's face hardened, but he remained patient. "I, uh, I admire the boldness, Chara, but I don't think pro-monster will sell long term. Why rock the boat?"

"Your dividend payouts spilled from a rocked boat."

"No. What is this?" His expression hardened. "This isn't a business thing, there's something personal."

"I don't give one damn about anyone or anything from Mount Ebott." Vinny failed to detect any lies, and he'd become very good at it. "I just think coming out for them now looks better than being dragged into doing it after our competitors beat us to the punch. Now, if his father reconsidered his stance, maybe the factory could get by on its own. Might even be a promotion in it for him..."

"You're asking him to throw the election!"

"Like you asked Senator McComb. And I think he's misreading the trends, but that doesn't matter. It's just business for me. Besides, Roberts' influence has tanked anyway, Christine picked up on that much at least. Are you sure _you_ don't have something personal, sir?"

"I... We went to college together, Chara..."

Chara's smile widened. "Rookie mistake, Vinny. You taught me this stuff was about mutual benefits. I've learned that even then it doesn't always pan out."

"For god's sake, have you even seen some of those... those..."

"Untapped demographics, Mister Polotsk."

"No." Blotches of red spread over his face. "I won't let you associate the company I built with a bunch of-"

"How do you propose to do that?"

"I still own a third of the stock, Chara! And I'm good friends with the other leading shareholders, I could easily launch a comeback-"

Chara ignored the threat, opening a drawer and taking out a pristine document.

"What the hell is this?"

"A writ. A formal notice to the authorities about irregularities discovered concerning the Initial Public Offering of the company fifteen years ago."

No. It was impossible. "Ir... irregularities?"

"Yes. A lot of front companies linked to a single shell corporation buying up the stock. Now I wasn't able to dig any further-" _like hell they weren't_ , Vinny fumed, "-but the government sure could find out who owned that shell. Might even force the persons or person to give up the stock. It is an election year after all."

"And what makes you think it's true? Who could tell you?"

"...Benny."

The red retreated, Vinny's face growing pale. "Y-you found him? Nobody could find him, I lost track years ago-"

"I told you, Vinny, I'm determined. Now this letter can stay in my drawer and I can burn it if and when I leave, and all Senator Roberts has to do is lay off my untapped market. It's good business, you see."

"But... You can't... My company..."

"Oh, Mister Polotsk..." actual pleasure accompanied the smile for the first time. "Since when were you the one in control?"

Their brown eyes met his icy blue, both looking into each other's for what both knew would be the last time. Their next correspondence would be through Mister Stone and whoever Vinny felt best could represent him in court. But for that moment, his silence was total defeat, and both knew it. He got up and marched out. For a moment the brown eyes had a glint of scarlet.

"Well, that was fun."

Chara wondered idly if Asriel could have done this, if Frisk hadn't saved him. Being a flower probably wasn't as big an obstacle as you'd think if you had the returns to back it up. Souls were an outright detriment in this arena. And yet it was stupidly easy to pick up power. Post a few good profit margins and people like Alex prostrate themselves, bend over backwards to let you command their lives. And it was never enough. Under Chara' stewardship, half the board were now richer than Asgore had ever been, and they grumbled if the dividend ever dared to be smaller than the previous one. They pursued it beyond all reason. And in the meantime Chara could bleed the masses dry, punish their collective ignorance by making it harder for them to secure themselves with overpriced junk a monster version of would probably last for decades. It was not as grandiose as their original plan had been, but it was satisfying as they eagerly impoverished themselves to Chara's benefit.

Thinking of the only people that had any claim to be their family, Chara was spurred to check the news online. Oh dear. Ambassador Dreemurr had been interviewed about their wider views and was questioning ethics in large companies. _No, Frisk. You're straying into my territory again._ Maybe a monster-only discount or something would keep them quiet, Or maybe they could push for funding that monster-focused scholarship their competitors had waffled about a while back. it would be easier than actually coming to blows. Besides, pro-monster really _did_ seem like a good marketing strategy...

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to VoidLurker for the idea.
> 
> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


End file.
